5 answers
Jesus
Student
2
Questions
Asked
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What qualifies do I need to be an engineer?
I’m a 7th grader, I’m wondering what traits or qualities I need to be an engineer? What are the daily schedule that are for engineers?
5 answers
Cory Yeager, PE, SE, MsC, PPM
44
Answers
Updated
Cory’s Answer
Anyone can be an engineer. You don’t have to be curious to be the best engineer but you do have to like the work and curiosity usually means interest.
We tend to give the worst career advice because most of us give advice we would give athletes. Train harder, train longer to get bigger, stronger and faster so you will win. This is great advice to create the mindset for an athlete and is needed to have best athletes but reality is that only a handful of athletes win a championship or a national title so the advice is rather ineffective. To keep going you have to love or at least like what you do and without this as a part of what you look would be a mistake.
What I would say is the answers above are right on the money about crating an engineers mind set. The rest of the answer is that engineers either work for government-corporate America (building and maintaining to support existing systems) or work for small business creating new solutions (with the hope it grows into a large system).
I would encourage you to find something you like and do some research on whether engineering is involved and whether you like that kind of work/engineering. It’s like starting a maze at the end and working backwards to know where to start.
I like building things and being outside….. naturally I am a civil engineer doing large scale steel, concrete and earthworks.
Good luck
We tend to give the worst career advice because most of us give advice we would give athletes. Train harder, train longer to get bigger, stronger and faster so you will win. This is great advice to create the mindset for an athlete and is needed to have best athletes but reality is that only a handful of athletes win a championship or a national title so the advice is rather ineffective. To keep going you have to love or at least like what you do and without this as a part of what you look would be a mistake.
What I would say is the answers above are right on the money about crating an engineers mind set. The rest of the answer is that engineers either work for government-corporate America (building and maintaining to support existing systems) or work for small business creating new solutions (with the hope it grows into a large system).
I would encourage you to find something you like and do some research on whether engineering is involved and whether you like that kind of work/engineering. It’s like starting a maze at the end and working backwards to know where to start.
I like building things and being outside….. naturally I am a civil engineer doing large scale steel, concrete and earthworks.
Good luck
Jamie Mathews
Construction and Engineering Administration
13
Answers
Fort Worth, Texas
Updated
Jamie’s Answer
Greetings! I'm a telecommunications engineer and would say there's not a lot of excitement. It's great when you bring fiber into a neighborhood and increase the technology of their telecommunications and provide better connectivity and faster speeds but it's still rather dull. Skills to work on would be mathematics, computer skills, and technical knowledge. A lot of the job these days is taking what you see in the field and converting it to a diagram on a computer. One also needs strong communication skills as you work with your own team, contractors, as well as city and government officials in regards to permits.
My daily schedule is usually set as a Monday through Friday 7:00 am - 4:00 pm although I do occasionally work weekends or after hours depending on the project and the deadline.
My daily schedule is usually set as a Monday through Friday 7:00 am - 4:00 pm although I do occasionally work weekends or after hours depending on the project and the deadline.
Bryan Kalkhoff
Engineer
14
Answers
Rochester, Minnesota
Updated
Bryan’s Answer
Hello!
Good question. The best engineers I know are ones who are always asking "how does that work" and then working towards finding the answer. As engineers, we are constantly learning so a good trait to have is being willing to learn throughout your entire career and listen to others' idea.
Another trait (that honestly is a weird one), is being excited about being stumped by a problem. Being stuck on a problem is exciting, it means there's a possibility for something new to be done, it's a chance to learn. But if you're constantly dreading being stuck, then being an engineer can be difficult.
As for my daily schedule. I'm a computer engineer my daily schedule isn't as exciting as other engineers. I'm in my office all day running simulations and making improvements to my design. I have meetings just about everyday going over different aspects of my job (model updates, process update, or just general meetings).
Hope this helps a little!
Good question. The best engineers I know are ones who are always asking "how does that work" and then working towards finding the answer. As engineers, we are constantly learning so a good trait to have is being willing to learn throughout your entire career and listen to others' idea.
Another trait (that honestly is a weird one), is being excited about being stumped by a problem. Being stuck on a problem is exciting, it means there's a possibility for something new to be done, it's a chance to learn. But if you're constantly dreading being stuck, then being an engineer can be difficult.
As for my daily schedule. I'm a computer engineer my daily schedule isn't as exciting as other engineers. I'm in my office all day running simulations and making improvements to my design. I have meetings just about everyday going over different aspects of my job (model updates, process update, or just general meetings).
Hope this helps a little!
Dennis Taylor
Self-employed
79
Answers
Columbus, Indiana
Updated
Dennis’s Answer
Hello Jesus! Curiosity is a good trait to have. As Bryan said, asking "How does that work?" is a good start. Add to that: "How can I make it better?" Or smaller, or lower cost or .....not needed at all. I like to say that engineers are always trying to work themselves out of job.
If we do our jobs properly, we have found the solution to a problem. That means that we made an improvement to some device or system; or, we made some task simpler to perform; or....?
Engineers tend to be involved in designing, testing, or producing everyday things - such as your cell phone, your bicycle, the family car, rocket ships and airplanes and beyond.
Engineers tend to be strong in math and science subjects. But, being curious and creative are good traits to add to that.
Try to find people in your area who are scientists or engineers. Maybe you can "shadow" a person during their work day.
Good luck in your journey, Jesus!
If we do our jobs properly, we have found the solution to a problem. That means that we made an improvement to some device or system; or, we made some task simpler to perform; or....?
Engineers tend to be involved in designing, testing, or producing everyday things - such as your cell phone, your bicycle, the family car, rocket ships and airplanes and beyond.
Engineers tend to be strong in math and science subjects. But, being curious and creative are good traits to add to that.
Try to find people in your area who are scientists or engineers. Maybe you can "shadow" a person during their work day.
Good luck in your journey, Jesus!
Charles Sim
Biomedical Service Engineer
1
Answer
Ogden, Utah
Updated
Charles’s Answer
As others have suggested, curiosity was the first thing that I thought of. Being constantly curious is a great trait. I would add to be open to what kinds of things do you enjoy now and how you can apply engineering to that or how it was engineered.
Furthermore, engineering is a kind of service and solutions focused role. Do you like solving complex problems and finding unique solutions that are innovative, provide a better way of doing something, or solves a difficult situation for others? All engineers provide a kind of service in creating solutions to problems or identifying a problem that others may not be aware of and inventing a process, device, or a system that helps.
I work as a biomedical service engineer at a medical laboratory. I have to find solutions to broken lab equipment , our made-in-house sample handling equipment, and the automated conveyor system. It's rewarding to me knowing that by repairing these equipment in a timely manner, I am helping patients receive the results they are looking for because the lab personnel are able to perform the necessary tests to provide the results to the doctors requesting them.
Furthermore, engineering is a kind of service and solutions focused role. Do you like solving complex problems and finding unique solutions that are innovative, provide a better way of doing something, or solves a difficult situation for others? All engineers provide a kind of service in creating solutions to problems or identifying a problem that others may not be aware of and inventing a process, device, or a system that helps.
I work as a biomedical service engineer at a medical laboratory. I have to find solutions to broken lab equipment , our made-in-house sample handling equipment, and the automated conveyor system. It's rewarding to me knowing that by repairing these equipment in a timely manner, I am helping patients receive the results they are looking for because the lab personnel are able to perform the necessary tests to provide the results to the doctors requesting them.
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